416th Air Expeditionary Group
Encyclopedia
The 416th Air Expeditionary Group (416 AEG) was a provisional unit assigned to the United States Air Force
Air Mobility Command
.
The current status of this unit is not publicly known. It previously served as the host unit at Karshi-Khanabad Air Base
(K2), in Qarshi
, Uzbekistan, from 2002–2005. It was known to support operations against al-Qaeda
in Afghanistan while active at Karshi-Khanabad.
The group's World War II predecessor unit, the 416th Bombardment Group was a A-20 Havoc light Bomb Group assigned to Ninth Air Force
in Western Europe. It was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for its actions in France when, in spite of intense resistance, the group bombed bridges, railways, rolling stock, and a radar station to disrupt the German retreat through the Falaise-Argentan gap, 6–9 August 1944.
Activated on 5 February 1943 without personnel, at Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma. The authority for the organization of this Group was contained in General Orders #3, Headquarter Army Air base, Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, dated 4 February 1943. The components making up the Group were the 668th, 669th, 670th and 671st Bombardment Squadrons Light. The original transfer of fifty-one (51) Officers and two hundred and forty-one (241) Enlisted Men was made on 15 February 1943. The source of the cadre was the 46th Bombardment Group and units from Will Rogers Field; from Blythe, California; from Barksdale Field, La.; and a number of men with considerable overseas experience from the Third Air Force Replacement Center, Plant Park, Florida. Until 15 February, all personnel were attached to their parent organization for duty, rations, and quarters. However, on that date, the 46th Bombardment Group Light moved to the North side of Will Rogers Field, leaving the South side to the 416th Bombardment Group.
The Group originally operated as an Operational Training Unit under the III Air Support Command. The Group fell back on the 46th Bomb Group for assistance with its training. Pilots were attached to the 46th BG for transition flying during the first three months of its existence. On 11 May, the first eight (8) planes were assigned to the 416th Group. One B-25C and one A-20-B was given to each of the 668th and 669th Squadrons. Two A-20-B's were assigned to each of the 670th and 671st Squadrons. Classes in all the military occupational specialties were conducted by the 46th Bomb Group until 1 June 1943. The Pilots attended Ground School, for five hours a day, in the following subjects: code, link trainer, aircraft recognition, operation and maintenance of the A-20 and B-25, air navigation, radio, instrument procedure, etc. The Intelligence personnel attended classes for one hour a day.
Moved to England, January— February 1944, and assigned to Ninth Air Force. Entered combat in March 1944, and during the next several weeks directed most of its attacks against V-weapon sites in France. Flew a number of missions against airfields and coastal defenses to help prepare for the invasion of Normandy. Supported the invasion in June 1944 by striking road junctions, marshalling yards, bridges, and railway overpasses. Assisted ground forces at Caen and Saint-Lô in Jul and at Brest later in the summer, by hitting transportation facilities, supply dumps, radar installations, and other targets. In spite of intense resistance, the group bombed bridges, railways, rolling stock, and a radar station to disrupt the enemy's retreat through the Falaise gap, 6–9 August 1944, and received a DUC for the missions.
Assisted the airborne attack on Holland in September. Supported the assault on the Siegfried Line by pounding transportation, warehouses, supply dumps, and defended villages in Germany. Converted to A-26 Invader
aircraft in Nov. Attacked transportation facilities, strong points, communications centers, and troop concentrations during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944— January 1945. Aided the Allied thrust into Germany by continuing its strikes against transportation, communications, airfields, storage depots, and other objectives, February—May 1945. Bombed flak positions in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945.
Returned to the US, July— October 1945. Inactivated on 24 October 1945
squadron and assigned KC-135 tankers. Aircraft carried Tail Code "GR" after 1992. Inactivated 1995 when Griffis was closed by Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC).
Became provisional Air Expeditionary Group as part of Global War on Terrorism in 2001. Assigned to Uzbekistan
as an Air Mobility Command
unit in early 2002. Operated as a support unit at the base for transshipments of cargo and supplies from United States, for onward tactical airlift to combat forces in Afghanistan
fighting Taliban and Al-Qaeda
forces. Inactivated in November 2005 after the Uzbek government requested the United States withdraw its forces from their territory.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
.
The current status of this unit is not publicly known. It previously served as the host unit at Karshi-Khanabad Air Base
Karshi-Khanabad
Karshi-Khanabad is an air base in southeastern Uzbekistan, just east of Karshi. It is home to the 60th Separate Mixed Aviation Brigade of the Uzbek Air Force. A section of the base serves as a commercial airport, supporting a limited number of passenger flights.From 1954 to 1981, the 735th Fighter...
(K2), in Qarshi
Qarshi
Qarshi is a city in southern Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Qashqadaryo Province and has a population of 197,600 . It is about 520 km south-southwest of Tashkent, and about 335 km north of Uzbekistan's border with Afghanistan. It is located at latitude 38° 51' 48N; longitude 65° 47'...
, Uzbekistan, from 2002–2005. It was known to support operations against al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
in Afghanistan while active at Karshi-Khanabad.
The group's World War II predecessor unit, the 416th Bombardment Group was a A-20 Havoc light Bomb Group assigned to Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
in Western Europe. It was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for its actions in France when, in spite of intense resistance, the group bombed bridges, railways, rolling stock, and a radar station to disrupt the German retreat through the Falaise-Argentan gap, 6–9 August 1944.
History
- For additional history and lineage, see 416th Bombardment Wing416th Bombardment WingThe 416th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Air Combat Command, being stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on 30 September 1995....
Lineage
- Constituted as 416th Bombardment Group (Light) on 25 January 1943
- Activated on 5 February 1943
- Inactivated on 24 October 1945
- Consolidated (31 January 1984) with the 416 Bombardment Wing, Heavy, which was established, and activated, on 15 November 1962. Organized on 1 February 1963.
- Redesignated: 416 Wing on 1 September 1991; 416 Bomb Wing on 1 June 1992.
- Inactivated on 30 September 1995.
- Redesignated 416 Air Expeditionary Group, and converted to provisional status, on 3 May 2002.
Assignments
- III Air Support CommandIII Air Support CommandThe III Air Support Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 16 March 1942.-Lineage:...
, 5 February 1943 – 1 January 1944 - 97th Bombardment Wing97th Bombardment Wing (World War II)The 97th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the IX Bomber Command, based at Camp Shanks, New York...
, February 1944– July 1945 - Army Service ForcesArmy Service ForcesThe Army Service Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces. They were created on February 28, 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department"...
, 23–24 October 1945 - 416th Wing (later Bomb Wing)416th Bombardment WingThe 416th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Air Combat Command, being stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on 30 September 1995....
, 1 September 1991 – 30 September 1995 - Air Mobility CommandAir Mobility CommandAir Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
to activate or inactivate any time after September 2001.
- Attached to: United States Central Command Air ForcesUnited States Central Command Air ForcesUnited States Air Forces Central is a unit of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina...
, 2002–2005
Components
- 41st Air Refueling Squadron41st Air Refueling SquadronThe 41st Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 416th Operations Group, stationed at Griffiss AFB, New York. It was inactivated on 15 February 1993...
: 1 September 1991 – 15 February 1993 - 509th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 September 1991 – 28 September 1994
- 668th Bombardment Squadron668th Bombardment SquadronThe 668th Bomb Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 416th Operations Group. It was last stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base, New York, and was inactivated on 1 January 1995.-History:...
: 5 February 1943 – 24 October 1945; 1 September 1991-1 January 1995 - 669th Bombardment Squadron669th Bombardment SquadronThe 669th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 416th Bombardment Group. It was last stationed at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, and was inactivated on 12 October 1945-History:...
: 5 February 1943 – 24 October 1945 - 670th Bombardment Squadron670th Bombardment SquadronThe 670th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 416th Bombardment Group. It was last stationed at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, and was inactivated on 12 October 1945-History:...
: 5 February 1943 – 24 October 1945 - 671st Bombardment Squadron671st Bombardment SquadronThe 671st Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 416th Bombardment Group. It was last stationed at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, and was inactivated on 12 October 1945-History:...
: 5 February 1943 – 24 October 1945
Stations
- Will Rogers Field, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, 5 February 1943 - Lake Charles Army Air Field, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, 4 June 1943 - Laurel Army Airfield, MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, November 1943-c. 1 January 1944 - RAF WethersfieldRAF WethersfieldMDPGA Wethersfield is a Ministry of Defence facility in Essex, England; it is located north of the village of Wethersfield—about north-west of the town of Braintree...
(AAF-170), England, February 1944 - Melun Airfield (A-55), France, September 1944
- Laon/Athies Airfield (A-69), France, February 1945
- Cormeilles en Vexin Airfield (A-59), France, May–July 1945
- Camp Myles StandishCamp Myles StandishCamp Myles Standish was a U.S. Army camp located in Taunton, Massachusetts. It functioned as a prisoner-of-war camp, a departure area for about a million U.S...
, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, c. 23–24 October 1945 - Griffiss AFB, New York, 1 September 1991 – 30 September 1995
- Karshi-Khanabad Air BaseKarshi-KhanabadKarshi-Khanabad is an air base in southeastern Uzbekistan, just east of Karshi. It is home to the 60th Separate Mixed Aviation Brigade of the Uzbek Air Force. A section of the base serves as a commercial airport, supporting a limited number of passenger flights.From 1954 to 1981, the 735th Fighter...
(K2), UzbekistanUzbekistanUzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, 2002– November 2005.
Aircraft
- A-20 Havoc, 1943–1945{A-26 Invader}Nov 1944
- B-52 StratofortressB-52 StratofortressThe Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
, 1991–1995 - KC-135 StratotankerKC-135 StratotankerThe Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
, 1991–1994 - T-37 Tweet, 1993–1995
World War II
The Group originally operated as an Operational Training Unit under the III Air Support Command. The Group fell back on the 46th Bomb Group for assistance with its training. Pilots were attached to the 46th BG for transition flying during the first three months of its existence. On 11 May, the first eight (8) planes were assigned to the 416th Group. One B-25C and one A-20-B was given to each of the 668th and 669th Squadrons. Two A-20-B's were assigned to each of the 670th and 671st Squadrons. Classes in all the military occupational specialties were conducted by the 46th Bomb Group until 1 June 1943. The Pilots attended Ground School, for five hours a day, in the following subjects: code, link trainer, aircraft recognition, operation and maintenance of the A-20 and B-25, air navigation, radio, instrument procedure, etc. The Intelligence personnel attended classes for one hour a day.
Moved to England, January— February 1944, and assigned to Ninth Air Force. Entered combat in March 1944, and during the next several weeks directed most of its attacks against V-weapon sites in France. Flew a number of missions against airfields and coastal defenses to help prepare for the invasion of Normandy. Supported the invasion in June 1944 by striking road junctions, marshalling yards, bridges, and railway overpasses. Assisted ground forces at Caen and Saint-Lô in Jul and at Brest later in the summer, by hitting transportation facilities, supply dumps, radar installations, and other targets. In spite of intense resistance, the group bombed bridges, railways, rolling stock, and a radar station to disrupt the enemy's retreat through the Falaise gap, 6–9 August 1944, and received a DUC for the missions.
Assisted the airborne attack on Holland in September. Supported the assault on the Siegfried Line by pounding transportation, warehouses, supply dumps, and defended villages in Germany. Converted to A-26 Invader
A-26 Invader
The Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
aircraft in Nov. Attacked transportation facilities, strong points, communications centers, and troop concentrations during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944— January 1945. Aided the Allied thrust into Germany by continuing its strikes against transportation, communications, airfields, storage depots, and other objectives, February—May 1945. Bombed flak positions in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945.
Returned to the US, July— October 1945. Inactivated on 24 October 1945
Modern era
Reactivated 1 September 1991 as 416th Operations Group at Griffis AFB when 416th Wing implemented Objective Organization, and assumed operational responsibility for B-52 StratofortressB-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
squadron and assigned KC-135 tankers. Aircraft carried Tail Code "GR" after 1992. Inactivated 1995 when Griffis was closed by Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
(BRAC).
Became provisional Air Expeditionary Group as part of Global War on Terrorism in 2001. Assigned to Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
as an Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
unit in early 2002. Operated as a support unit at the base for transshipments of cargo and supplies from United States, for onward tactical airlift to combat forces in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
fighting Taliban and Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
forces. Inactivated in November 2005 after the Uzbek government requested the United States withdraw its forces from their territory.